The Kokomo Dodgers were a Minor League Baseball team based in

Kokomo, Indiana Kokomo ( ) is a city in Indiana and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard County, the Kokomo-Peru CSA, which include ...

, between 1955 and 1961. The 1956 Dodgers were a charter member of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

, as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League changed names. Kokomo was an affiliate of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1956 to 1961, after initially playing as a

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

affiliate in 1955, during which time they were known as the Kokomo Giants.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Orlando Cepeda Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (; born September 17, 1937), nicknamed "the Baby Bull" and "Peruchin", is a Puerto Rican former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for six teams from 1958 to 1974, primarily the San Francisco Giants. ...

played for the 1955 team.

History

In 1955, Kokomo replaced the Danville Dans in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League, playing as the Kokomo Giants, an affiliate of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

. The next season, the Kokomo Dodgers became an charter member of newly formed

, which grew out of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. The other seven Midwest League charter franchises were the Clinton Pirates, Dubuque Packers,

Decatur Commodores The Decatur Commodores were a professional minor league baseball team based in Decatur, Illinois that played for 64 seasons. The Commodores are the primary ancestor of today's Kane County Cougars. They played, with sporadic interruptions, from 1 ...

Michigan City White Caps The Michigan City White Caps were a minor league baseball team based in Michigan City, Indiana from 1956 to 1959. The White Caps were a member of the Class C Midwest League (1956–1959). The team set the foundation for today's West Michigan Whi ...

Paris Lakers The Paris Lakers were a minor league baseball team based in Paris, Illinois from 1950 to 1959. The Lakers played as members of the Midwest League from 1956 to 1959 and its predecessor, the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League from 1950 to 1955. The L ...

Lafayette Red Sox Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

and

Mattoon Phillies The Mattoon Phillies was a primary nickname for the minor league baseball teams based in Mattoon, Illinois between 1899 and 1957. Mattoon teams played as members of the Indiana–Illinois League (1899), Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (190 ...

. Former Dodger Pete Reiser was the team's manager during the 1956 and 1957 seasons.(27 October 1981)
Reckless Reiser Dead at 62
''

Windsor Star The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays. History The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bor ...

'', Retrieved December 10, 2010 ("for two years managed the Kokomo Dodgers in the Class D Midwest League")(24 January 1956)
Sports in short
''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', Retrieved December 10, 2010 The team won the Midwest League pennant in 1957, but lost in the playoffs.Cox, Don (29 November 1957)
Sports salutes
''

The Gadsden Times '' The Gadsden Times '' is a daily newspaper serving Gadsden, Alabama, and the surrounding area in northeastern Alabama. The Times was owned by Halifax Media Group. Before that, the newspaper was a member of the New York Times Regional Media G ...

'', Retrieved December 10, 2010Cox, Don. (15 March 1958)
Sports salutes
''

'', Retrieved December 10, 2010Boyle, Robert H. (2 September 1957)
Pete In The Bush
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...

'', Retrieved December 10, 2010 (detailed article profiling Reiser at Kokomo)

The Ballpark

The team played at

Highland Park Stadium Highland Park Stadium, also known as CFD Investments Stadium, is a minor league baseball stadium located in the Highland Park in Kokomo, Indiana, United States History Highland Park Stadium was built as the home of the Kokomo Giants in 1955, and ...

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni

(1955) Inducted, 1999

Notable alumni

* Mike Brumley (1957) * Tommy Davis (1957) 3x MLB All–Star; 2× NL Batting Champion (1962, 1963); 1962 NL RBI Leader * Tim Harkness (1957) * Clarence Jones (1961) * Bill Kelso (1961) * Don Miles (1956) * Rod Miller (1959) * Ed Palmquist (1956) * Pete Reiser (1956–1957, MGR) 3x MLB All–Star; 1941 NL Batting Champion; 2× NL Stolen Base Leader (1942, 1946) * Nate Smith (1956) * Hector Valle (1960)

References

External links

Baseball ReferenceMidwest League Guide – Kokomo history
{{Midwest League Defunct Midwest League teams Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates New York Giants minor league affiliates Kokomo, Indiana 1956 establishments in Indiana 1961 disestablishments in Indiana Sports in Kokomo, Indiana Defunct baseball teams in Indiana Baseball teams disestablished in 1961 Baseball teams established in 1956

History

The Ballpark

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ... alumni

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni